Cuckoo in a crow’s nest

This was a writing skills assignment way back in college. I remember the instructor asking me if it was an autobiography. Well, it's clearly not one, but yes, it has bits and pieces of my life in it. When I read it now, I can think of a lot more things that make this city even more beautiful...

Simple, innocent, dedicated, hardworking, loving, compassionate, gentle,… this is how Gowri was when she first set out for the city where dreams were believed to come true – Mumbai. She hailed from a coastal village - Chemmanchery in Tamil Nadu. Her life there, according to her, was nothing short of ultimate bliss. She simply loved the depths of the sea, the cool breeze, the green fields and the enjoyable bullock cart rides. Even though she loved being in her village, she didn’t shy away from accepting that she had always dreamt of going to Mumbai to pursue her dreams. She never ceased to work towards her dreams and believed that one day she will be in Mumbai.

The time finally came on a fine summer morning when she received a letter confirming her admission to a course offered by the JJ School of Arts. She was thoroughly excited and spent the next few days planning her trip.

She traveled to Mumbai by train. She was not only surprised but also shocked to see the railway station so crowded. She had seen such a huge crowd only in the village fair. She stood for a few minutes to watch the entire place buzzing with apparently all kinds of activities - vendors trying to sell their wares, porters trying to canvass the passengers, stalls selling books, newspapers & refreshments, beggars begging for alms and so on.

She made her way through the crowd; hailed a taxi and reached her hostel. She felt a bit out of place when other girls gave a piercing stare as they passed by. That look on their faces was enough for her to feel like an outcast. Unlike most girls in Mumbai, she was conservatively dressed with not the slightest trace of makeup on her face. In a metropolis like Mumbai, people like Gowri definitely make heads turn, not in awe or admiration but in disgust and insult.

Her first day in college was a complete disaster. During the orientation programme, as soon as she spoke a few words in English, she heard an uproar of laughter all around her. Her English was a bit affected.

Then there was this uncontrollable traffic and the intolerable pollution. People always seemed to be in a hurry. No one seemed to even stop a moment and greet an acquaintance. This was one quality of Mumbai that she hated the most.

Within twenty four hours of her coming to Mumbai, she felt disgusted and sincerely wanted to go back home but after some thought decided to try again. Her decision was put to test very soon when her roommates switched on the music system and started listening to music that, according to Gowri, was nothing but nuisance. She tried to get some sleep but the volume at which the music was being played made it just impossible. She remembered those nights in her village that used to be so quiet yet so full of life. She remained awake for what seemed like days.

The next morning she was up by six in the morning though she had to go to college only by ten o’clock. She watched her roommates wrestling with their alarm clocks and she couldn’t help but laugh. Certain things amused her while others left her shell-shocked.

She used to travel by the local train to her college. Each day was a different experience. On certain days the train would be crowded to the extent of suffocation while on other days, it used be a pleasant journey. Gowri considered the local train as one of the most interesting places in Mumbai. People rushing in and out, people fighting just like that, some of them catching their morning’s sleep and some others gossiping made the local train very interesting. She also liked the vendors who used to sell everything right from pens to vegetables.

Within the college campus and outside too, she saw boys and girls hugging each other, going out together and hanging out at malls. Her only reaction was that these were not for her. She vividly remembered how boys and girls behaved back home. She was awestruck by the striking contrast between the two cultures. But then there was one thing in common between the two places and that was that people remained united all along. One would not tolerate his/her friend’s insult.

Then again there were some things that disturbed her. For instance, whenever she went to the railway station, on her way she always found people begging. This was not something that Gowri had never seen but the fact that disturbed her was that most of them were children. She felt sad that at an age where they were supposed to go to school, they were forces to beg at traffic signals, railway stations, trains and so on. She felt her heart reaching out to them.

Then there were the roadside stalls that sold mouth-watering snacks. Gowri simply loved the Pani Puri. In bright contrast to these stalls Mumbai also has malls. Somehow, Gowri didn’t develop a liking for the malls. She still liked the idea of asking the shopkeeper about each product and bargaining.

One other striking feature about Mumbai is that people are free to speak their minds and select their own form of worship. She was amazed at how people completed their work before the specified deadline. She also saw that people were open-minded and thought about ideas in a broad perspective. Another fact that bowled her over was the way people’s priorities have changed. Even a worker wanted to provide the best education to his children. She started developing a liking for the place and its people.

As each day passed, she got accustomed to the environment and the people along with their idiosyncrasies. She was so dedicated to her work that everybody started noticing her. They couldn’t believe that Gowri was improving at breakneck speed. Slowly her classmates started approaching her for help with their assignments and study material. She never refused and was always ready to help. As such anyone and everyone came to her for help.

In the course of time, Gowri started believing that all her classmates thought of her as their friend. She felt on top of the world but not for long. She fell ill and couldn’t attend college for nearly two weeks. In all those days, not a single person called to check on her health. Gowri experienced the weakest moments of her life, both physically and mentally, during this period. She learnt a lesson that in a city like Mumbai where people have their focus on the fulfillment of their dreams, there was no place for friendship or gratitude. After this low period, she emerged stronger.

When she went back, there were people in her class enquiring about her health. Some were people she had never had the chance to even speak to and some others who just asked for namesake. She was touched by the courteous behaviour and enraged by the so called sweet behaviour. She forgave them because she was a staunch believer of the proverb “Forgive and Forget”.

Then there were times when the behavior of people confused Gowri. Whenever there was a disaster, it was always the public who came ahead to help their fellowmen. Yet the next day everything comes back to normal and people again seem to be in a ‘don’t care’ attitude. Gowri found it difficult to fathom people in Mumbai.

After completing her course, when Gowri was about to visit her native place the first time in three years, she felt that all these days though she had been on a rollercoaster ride and had experienced a whirlwind of emotions, yet she felt a sense of belonging to this place and its people. Such was the charisma of Mumbai. In short, life for a girl like Gowri in Mumbai, is like watching a movie. There are some things that you love, some others that you wish you could change and some others that disturb you to the extent that they leave a mark on your soul forever.